Preparation work continues for the Nov. 14 opening of the new Outlets of Mississippi shopping complex on Bass Pro Drive in Pearl.

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The doors at the Outlets of Mississippi swing open Thursday, the beginning of a four-day weekend's worth of jubilant chaos to celebrate the newest large economic development project in Pearl.

Ushering in a guaranteed flood of shoppers to the Outlets' 76 retailers will be easy. Managing the congestion they will create will not. It will immediately require a team of local and state law enforcement agencies and no small amount of luck. Long-term, it could require something bigger - expensive infrastructure upgrades.

It did in Gonzales, La., which, like Pearl, is a state capital suburb whose ...